


Hibiscus Tea (oh what we could be)

by inori_gin



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Bokuto is a simp, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hanahaki Disease, I know nothing about Tattoos, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Tea Shop, akaashi has a motorcycle, akaashi has tattoos and piercings like a badass, bokuto is a bit ooc, bokuto is smarter, kageyama the badass, sakusa is also a simp, slight warning? mentions of rape kind of?, tattoo shop, the kagehina is very minor sorry, uhh nothing too graphic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-03
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:00:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27867281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inori_gin/pseuds/inori_gin
Summary: It was all an accident really, their meeting, him falling in love. Everything suddenly started to get complicated when the petals started growing in his lungs. Hibiscus... his favorite tea
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Miya Atsumu/Sakusa Kiyoomi
Comments: 78
Kudos: 32





	1. First date or Second ?

The air was cool. Even through his thick jacket and underneath his helmet, he could still feel the breeze. He tightened his grip around the handlebars, gloves creasing into his knuckles. The motor of the bike hummed loudly as the gas was increased. As he rounded the corner, the worst thing he could have possibly thought of this afternoon, happened. The flower shop was closed. He stopped and got off his bike to look at the sign hanging from the back of the glass door, hoping it only said ‘Be back in 10 minutes’. He looked at the ‘See you Tomorrow’ sign and sighed. As he climbed back on his bike, the wind picked up a little, making him shiver.

_Hm, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to get some tea. It’s getting colder._

Before taking off, he grabbed his phone and looked for nearby tea shops, thank god there was one less than a mile from here. It was called ‘Jackals Tea Shop’.From the looks of it, it had a lot of flowers too, which meant he got to draw them. Once the phone was tucked safely away in his back pocket, he drove off on his motorcycle to the teashop. Soon enough he arrived. The front of the teashop wasn’t very endearing, but from what could be seen through the windows, it was a carefree, cheerful place. People were bright and lively at their tables, even if there weren’t many customers at the time. He parked his bike and got off, leaving the helmet resting on his seat. He walked down the sidewalk only a short distance to get there. A little bell hanging from the back of the door chimed when it was opened. There was a little desk by the entrance with a blonde sitting in the seat.

“Hello! My name is Atsumu, how may I help you today?” The man looked up at him.

“Hi, my name’s Akaashi. I would like a seat please,” Akaashi said as he put his hands in his pockets nervously.

“Sure thing! You are free to pick any seat you want and we’ll send someone right over!” Atsumu said as he returned to his computer after giving Akaashi a big smile.

“Thank you,” Akaashi scanned the room looking for a seat with some flowers at it, or at least near it. The tables with the most flowers in bouquets were already taken. Out of the twelve tables they had set up, three didn’t have flowers at all. One booth on the right wall caught his attention though, he walked over and took a seat. Akaashi turned around and rummaged through his backpack, getting his sketchbook. He pulled it out and placed it on the table softly. One click of his mechanical pencil, and soon he was drawing. Out of the many places he could have chosen, he picked this booth for a reason. Sure, there were free tables with a decent amount of flowers, ranging in different sizes and colors. However, none of them had this flower. Alone at his table, Akaashi sat and drew a single daisy. It was resting in the center of the round table, in a small, clear vase, by itself. Akaashi simply wanted to draw its beauty. Even though it was withering and there were scattered petals fallen on the table around it, it was still beautiful. About halfway through drawing the vase and water, a loud noise was heard to his right, startling him.

“Hey hey hey! Welcome! I’ve never seen you here before! What’s your name? I’m Bokuto Koutarou!” A tall man with black and white hair stood by him. From the looks of what he was wearing, which was an apron, he worked here. Every time he breathed, his muscles flexed, tightening his apron. Akaashi hadn’t noticed he’d been staring until he heard a “Hello?”

“Ah, sorry. My name is Akaashi Keiji. You?” He looked up, meeting the man’s gaze. Suddenly he started giggling.

“Akaashi I already said my name, pfft-” He raised a clenched fist to his mouth in an attempt to hide his laughter. A blush rose to Akaashi’s face.

“I’m sorry. You said your name was Bokuto?” Akaashi tightened his grin around his pencil just a bit as he looked up at the waiter.

“Yep! Anyway, I’m here to take your order. So what’ll it be ‘Kaashi?” Bokuto said, grinning at the boy sitting down.

“I- um. I didn’t look at the menu. I’ll take some tea?” Akaashi’s eyes locked with a pair of golden ones. Bokuto smiled and placed his hand on the table, leaning a bit over.

“Kaashi, this is a tea shop. Half of our menu is tea,” Bokuto smirks at him, causing Akaashi to blush again. He quickly looked down at the table.

 _Oh my god get it together you look like an idiot!_ After Akaashi mentally yelled at himself, he looked back up to face Bokuto.   
“I don’t really know what kind of tea I like. Something sweet?” Akaashi looks at him questioningly.

“ Coming right up! I got the perfect drink for you!” And with that, Bokuto is off to the kitchen to grab his order. Akaashi processes for a minute before getting back to drawing. He finished the outline of everything at the same time Bokuto returns with tea in a gorgeous glass. The tea itself fades from a dark golden color to the regular brown a tea is. The ice glimmers in the glass, making the gold pattern on the outside of the glass, dance. There were small pink flowers hanging off the golden tree branches. If it was possible to fall in love with a drink, Akaashi just did. Bokuto didn’t fail to notice how the teal eyes of the boy lit up upon the sight of the glass.

 _Guess he likes it!_ He thinks, smiling to himself.

“What is it?” Akaashi asks, returning his attention to Bokuto.

“It’s my own recipe! Only on the secret menu of this place. Although no-one has ever actually ordered it so I just enjoy it on my own,” Bokuto scratches the back of his head and smiles, “It’s a lemon hibiscus tea with a special ingredient I can’t say! Anyway, try it! Tell me if you like it or not!” Bokuto’s eyes glisten.

“Sure,” Akaashi says in a monotone voice to hide his excitement. He lifts the cup up to his mouth and takes a sip. The warmth spread throughout his entire body and he closed his eyes. He sat there for a moment, holding the warm cup in his always cold hands, remembering the taste of the tea on his lips. He slowly opens them and a soft smile dances across his face. He looks at Bokuto and gives a nod of approval.

“I love it, thank you Bokuto-san,” Akaashi says. At the use of his name like that, Bokuto blushes.

“Well, of course, it’s my job after all,” Bokuto mumbles out that last part. Akaashi places his teacup back down on the small tea plate it was served with.

“Do you have any other recommendations Bokuto-san? I’m hungry,” Akaashi looks at Bokuto warmly.

“O-of course! We have this amazing pastry you should try!” Bokuto quickly gets out his waiters’ notepad and writes something down.

“What are you writing?” Akaashi makes a face at the notepad.

“Just something! I’ll be back with the pastry!” Bokuto gives a smile and returns to the kitchen. Akaashi goes back to drawing, however this time, he isn’t allowed to really focus on his linework seeing as Bokuto was back sooner than last time.

“Here you are ‘Kaashi!” Bokuto says as he sets a plate down in front of him. Akaashi pushes his sketchbook to the side to drag the pasty in front of him. Bokuto catches the drawing out of the corner of his eye and quickly snatches up the book.

“Hey, Akaashi these are really good!” Bokuto says as he flips through the pages with a smile. Almost all of them are flower-filled. Some are buildings from what looks like foreign countries with beautiful architecture. A lot of the drawings, not all, were painted with watercolor over the sketches. Some of the colors bled over the lines, adding to the aesthetic of the book.

“Thank you Bokuto-san,” Akaasho says, flustered. He picks up the pastry and brings it to his mouth. He can already smell the strawberry flavor before he even eats it. He takes a bite. Some of the cream dripped out the middle, causing Akaashi to place a hand beneath his food to catch it. He finishes chewing and places the pastry back down on the plate. Soon after, he picks up a napkin and wipes his hand down.

“Hey ‘Kaashi? Why do you like flowers so much?” Bokuto asks, setting the sketchbook down, and taking a seat across from Akaashi.

“It’s a really long and dark story. I’ll tell you some other time,” Akaashi says before taking a sip of his tea.

“If it’s a sad story then why do you have a tattoo of some flowers on your neck?” Bokuto gestures to the tattoo as he speaks. Subconsciously, Akaashi raises a hand and rubs it over the side of his neck above his shoulder.

“Ah, yeah. I suppose it couldn’t hurt to tell you that. Well, you see, when I was little I got into a car accident. Every day while I was in the hospital, this nurse brought me these flowers to lighten up my room. I was really thankful for it. She was a sweet old lady who sadly passed away. I did it to remember her,” Akaashi smiles at Bokuto, with an emotion he can’t quite place threatening to break out from the surface.

“Is she also the reason you draw flowers?” Bokuto places his elbow on the table and his head in his hand, very obviously showing his interest in the subject.

“No,” Akaashi takes another sip of the tea, resting his hands around the cup yet again.

“You should tell me more stories. Like about your tattoos or piercings. Or stories, in general, I don’t care,” Bokuto smiled softly at Akaashi, causing him to blush a little. 

“Okay,” Akaashi looked at him, “Oh wait, aren’t you at work right now?” Akaashi asked, a little disappointed.

“My shift ended at three!” Bokuto gives him a big smile. Akaashi looks at the clock. The time was 3:11. Akaashi had gotten here at 2:58.  
“Why are you still here?” Akaashi gave Bokuto a puzzling stare. “Ah that sounded mean I’m sorry. Just, why haven’t you left of you are done working?”

“Because you’re interesting ‘Kaashi!” Bokuto says.

“Oh,” Akaashi takes a sip of his tea.

“I’ve never seen you here before. Everyone else here is basically a regular here,” Bokuto shrugs.

“Ah, so you take an interest in all new customers?” Akaashi teases.

“Nope! Just the pretty ones named ‘Kaashi!” Bokuto grins.

“That’s not my name Bokuto-san,” Akaashi says to cover his blush.

Bokuto gives a teasing frown.

“Aw too bad, I guess I’ll never find the cool and amazing ‘Kaashi. I’m doomed to forever be alone in this tea shop,” Bokuto dramatically places a hand over his heart and falls back into the seat of the booth.

“Pfft-” Akaashi lets out a small laugh. Bokuto looks at him and smiles.

“Fine, fine, you win,” says Akaashi before he picks up his pastry and takes the last bite. It wasn’t a very large treat after all. The worst part was trying to fit all the filling in his mouth without looking like an idiot in front of Bokuto. Akaashi quickly wiped the side of his face with his napkin.

“Missed a spot,” Bokuto smirks before leaning over the table. He supports his body on the table with his right arm, as he uses his left hand to wipe away the strawberry filling off of Akaashi’s face. Yet again, Akaashi found himself blushing at the attention of this one guy. _How was it possible for someone to unravel me like this?_ Akaashi wondered.

“Check please,” Is all he can manage to say.

 _Fuck I totally ruined the mood…_ Akaashi looks at the table and back up at Bokuto.

“Coming right up!” Bokuto pulls his arm away and stands up, scooting himself out of the seat. Akaashi watches closely as Bokuto strolls up to the cash register, smiley as could be. He punches in a few buttons and a receipt comes out the side of the register. He makes his way back over to Akaashi. He takes out a pen and puts it on the table with the receipt.

“So, will I see you again ‘Kaashi?” Bokuto asks. Akaashi finishes off his tea and signs the receipt.

“Hm, maybe,” Akaashi packs his things back into his small leather backpack and swings it around his shoulders. He looks up at Bokuto, meeting his gaze.

“Bye Bokuto-san. It was nice to meet you,” Akaashi gives him a small smile before heading toward the exit.

“Bye ‘Kaashi!” Bokuto waves at him until the door closes and the little bell jingles again. He watches him walk down the sidewalk. A few moments later, he sees a motorcycle speed by, with what looks like Akaashi riding on it.

 _That’s so hot._ Bokuto thinks. He is soon snapped out of his trance as a hand is placed on his shoulder.

“So, why don’t you get back to work Bokuto?” Atsumu says with what looks like a vein about to burst in his forehead.

“Yes boss!” Bokuto gives a bow before continuing work in a better mood, all thanks to the boy he just met for a total of 46 minutes.

Time passed and soon enough the shop was closing. It was barely after six and Bokuto was sweeping the floors up for closing time. Him, Atsumu, and Hinata were the only ones left at this hour.

“Bokuto-san!” Hinata came rushing out of the kitchen with his chef's uniform still on.

“Hinata!!” Bokuto smiles at him.

“How was work today?” Hinata jogs over to in front of Bokuto, leaving a small trail of flower dust behind him.

“The same as usual, how about you?” Bokuto excitedly awaits for an interesting story. Hinata only ever came out of the kitchen without changing if something amazing happened.

“You two act like you don’t see each other every time Bokuto goes to get an order,” Atsumu emerges from the employee room with a grin on his face.

“Hush hush!” Bokuto playfully sticks his tongue out at him, which he only gets a laugh and an eye roll in return.

“Well, nothing too interesting happened today… except a pretty boy came in today,” Hinata grinned.

“Tell me more come on!” Bokuto jokingly pleaded.

“And he came in and sat down at our table with the daisy. Oddly enough, he was talking to you the whole time. Got something to say Bokuto-san?”

Hinata loved teasing Bokuto. It was one of the things that kept him sane through having to work at a tea shop with Atsumu. He was expecting Bokuto to get a little flustered at the comment, this however, was far better than that expectation. A blush instantly rose to Bokuto’s face and he sputtered out his next sentence.

“Well I- he just sat down? He looked so pretty so I said hi and next thing I knew we were talking. Then my instincts kicked in and I started _flirting_ oh my god I was _flirting with him._ He just- He kept having these super cute reactions and I don’t know” Bokuto lifts his hands and puts them to his face. He lets out a loud groan. Hinata throws himself into a giggle fit.

“Oh my god Bokuto-san you are whipped and you’ve known him for a total of-” He stops to laugh harder “ _Less than an hour_ ” Hinata is doubling over in laughter.

“Shut up Hinata! Like you haven’t found at least one person so- so _otherworldly attractive_? I don’t even know what that means but I think it’s him?” A smile covers Bokuto’s face at the mere mental picture of him.

“Pfft- whipped,” Atsumu scoffs and picks up his jacket and bag from the coat hanger and carefully puts them on.  
“Oh please, like-” Hinata stops talking and looks at the ground. A pang of sadness strikes all of their hearts, especially Atsumu. He furrows his brow angrily.

“I’ll see you guys in two days,” He says, trying to sound as not angry as possible. He swings open the door, walks out, and slams it behind him.

“I wonder if he’ll ever get over it…” Hinata watches sadly as Atsumu gets into his car and drives away.

“It’s one of those things that takes time to heal. It was hanahaki after all,” Bokuto smiles sadly, before turning to Hinata.

“Yeah, you’re right. Let's clean up and go home. I hate this doom and gloom!” Hinata smiles up at Bokuto.

“Yeah! That's the attitude I like to hear!” Bokuto holds his hand up for a high five, and of course, Hinata meets him halfway. The two finish cleaning up the store and go home. They live in separate directions, so when they finally parted paths, Bokuto was allowed a moment to breathe. He never liked walking alone, not having anyone to support him was the analogy he made to it. However, there were days when walking home was just what he needed. A little time to think. Bokuto closed his eyes and took a deep breath, allowing the cool air to flow freely through his lungs. His steps home were steady, it was a calming sensation Bokuto had learned to like. However, he really, really wouldn’t mind if there was another set of steps walking beside him. He soon enough reached his house. As he unlocked the door and strolled inside, he instantly relaxed the tension in his shoulders.

 _I’m tired, but also hungry. More tired than hungry._ Bokuto thinks as he scratches his stomach, opening the fridge. Although the sound was minimal, it echoed through the empty apartment. 

_I’ll just eat a good breakfast tomorrow._ Bokuto walked down the hall to his bedroom and flopped on the bed. Suddenly, someone came to mind.

 _Akaashi… I wonder what he’s up to?_ Unbeknownst to him, said ‘Akaashi’ was wondering the same thing from his own apartment, in his own room, on his own bed.

Slowly time passed, almost a week went by and Akaashi still hadn’t come by to the shop. Before today, he had been coming semi-regularly. Everytime the little bell jingled, Bokuto looked up, hoping, just hoping that the boy with dark teal eyes and black hair would walk through the door and smile at him. Just one more time. It was nearing the end of his shift and the doorbell made a noise again. Out of a habit that he had now made, Bokuto looked up to see if it was Akaashi. To his astonishment, there the boy was, standing in the doorway looking beautiful. His black jeans were comfortable hugging his legs as he walked towards Bokuto. Bokuto analyzed everything about him before he got too close. His shirt was white with some sort of black lettering Bokuto couldn’t make out from underneath the dark teal jacket he was wearing. A fanny pack was crossed over his torso, tying the whole ensemble together. 

“Hello Bokuto-san, am I too late?” Akaashi looked up at him. That look, intentional or not, made Bokuto weak every time.

“Not at all! Please feel free to take a seat ‘Kaashi! I’ll be over in a minute. Just gotta grab something real quick!” Bokuto grins at him.

“Okay, take your time,” Akaashi calmly walked over to the table he was at last, the daisy was looking more and more wilted. Once Akaashi was distracted, Bokuto raced to the kitchen to get Hinata.

“Hinata!” He said as soon as he got in. Loudly, but not loud enough so he wasn’t heard by anyone else.

“Akaashi is back. I need your help. It's been almost a week, what do I say??” Bokuto was rambing. He ran his fingers through his hair, detangling all the product he put in. A habit he picked up when he was stressed. He walked over to the employee lockers and opened his. On the door of his locker was a thin full-length mirror with some stickers and pictures covering the edges of it. Most of them were of him, Hinata, and Atsumu. Somewhere along the line, Atsumu stopped joining them for their outings. So, Bokuto cherished the photos he did have of all three of them smiling. He looked at the pictures for a brief moment before adjusting his apron. He refastened it at the back. The black arpon stood out against the white tee shirt he was wearing. His name along with the word ‘Jackal’ was printed at the top right in gold. All in all, his outfit matched his facial features. However, when Bokuto went to fix his hair, he noticed something.

“Oh my god, I ruined my hair. Hinata what am I going to do??” Bokuto turned towards the chef, gesturing to his hair, which was now all down instead of up.

“It looks fine Bokuto-san! You look good with your hair down!” Hinata said while mixing some dough in a bowl.

“But, there is hair gel and it looks stupid!” Bokuto tries to find a way to part his hair, he never brought hair gel to work.

“Then why don’t you go rinse it out?” Hinata walks over to the cabinet and pulls out a bag of chocolate chips.

“That's a good idea, I’ll be right back!” Bokuto smiles, brightening up, and runs off to the bathroom. After about a minute he reemerges with his hair still damp.

“Okay I’m good to go! Lets just hope he doesn’t think I look ugly” Bokuto grabs his notepad and struts out the door radiating positivity.

“Good luck-” Hinata calls after him before spilling chocolate chips on the counter. He curses to himself and continues baking. Meanwhile, Bokuto walks over to Akaashi, clicks his pen, and holds up his notepad.

“Hey ‘Kaashi! Been a while! What can I get ya?” Bokuto grins down at the boy. His stomach flips when he sees Akaashi wearing glasses.

 _Oh my god how did he get prettier?_ Bokuto’s face flushes. Akaashi looks up at him, upon seeing him blush, and with his hair down, Akaashi blushes too.

“Hi Bokuto-san, I’ll have the same tea as last time,” Akaashi covers his mouth with his hand and glances to the side, smiling.

“You look really good with glasses,” Bokuto answers. Instead of saying ‘Okay, can I get you anything else?’ His mouth fails him. Bokuto facepalms dramatically. Akaashi chuckles.

“I could say the same about you and your hair being down, it was up only 10 minutes ago, but I think you look good. Really good,” Akaashi buried his face in his hand, ears red.

“R-really? You think so ‘Kaashi?” Bokuto smiles, eyes wide at the boy sitting down. A slight blush rises to his face, not as bad as Akaashi though.

“Y-yes Bokuto-san, I do,” Akaashi looks back up at him. Bokuto scratches the back of his head. He smiles.

“Anyways sorry for blurting that out! I don’t really think straight around you so sometimes I say things and-” Bokuto cuts himself off by coughing into his elbow, blushing, stopping himself from getting any more embarrassed than he already is. Akaashi chuckles again, smiling softly at Bokuto, whose heart does a flip at the sight.

“So uh, you liked the tea?” Bokuto looks down at the floor, then back at the boy.

“Yes, I did. I liked the pastry too, but I don’t have time to eat one today,” Akaashi says.

“Oh? Are you in a rush to go somewhere?” Bokuto raises an eyebrow.

“Sort of, just going to meet one of my friends for dinner,” replies Akaashi.

“That's cool! I’ll be right back with the tea and you can tell me more!” Bokuto hurries off in excitement. Akaashi sighs with a smile. He places his elbow on the table, and rests his head in his hand. He looks out the window as the cars go by. Soon enough Bokuto returns with the same tea in the same glass as last time.

“Here you are ‘Kaashi!” Bokuto places the drink on the table, and yet again sits in the seat across from Akaashi.

“So, who’s your friend?” Bokuto asks.

“Don’t worry, you’ll meet him eventually,” Akaashi teases. A small blush rises to Bokuto’s face.

“I- okay,” Bokuto looks at Akaashi, who is still gazing out the window. He studies his features. The way his hair curls at the edges, the exact color of his eyes. He subconsciously starts smiling. Akaashi catches him gazing at him. He turns and looks at him.

“What is it Bokuto-san?” Akaashi asks.

“Hey Akaashi, can I have your number?” Bokuto leans forward, smiling.

“Yes,” Akaashi wastes no time in answering. He holds his hand out in motion for Bokuto’s phone. Bokuto obliges and passes his phone over. He watches as Akaashi types in a phone number under ‘new contact’ and passes the phone back to him. He had put the name as ‘Akaashi Keiji’ but Bokuto changed it to ‘Kaashi<3’.

“Thank you!” Bokuto grins at him.

Akaashi slowly takes sips of his tea as him and Bokuto sit in comfortable silence. Akaashi watches out the window, occasionally sneaking peeks at Bokuto, who does the same. Akaashi finishes the last sip of his tea. Bokuto notices instantly, and gets up to grab the check and receipt.

“I'll be back~” He strides over to the register and returns again. Akaashi takes out his own pen, signs the store copy of the receipt, and stands up. He scoots his chair in and faces Bokuto. They stare at each other for a minute, Akaashi wants to ask for a hug, but is too shy. Bokuto picks up on this.

“Akaashi? Can I give you a hug?” Bokuto scratches the back of his neck and looks at him nervously.

“Yes,” Akaashi replies a little too fast. Bokuto' face lights up. He leans down a bit and wraps his arms around Akaashi’s waist. Akaashi pulls his arms up to rest on Bokuto’s back. Bokuto smiles into the embrace, Akaashi lets out a happy sigh. They stay like that for a moment, Akaashi is the first to let go. 

“I’ll see you later Bokuto-san,” Akaashi smiles softly at the taller male.

“Same time next week?” Bokuto asks.

“Same time next week,” Akaashi turns to walk out the door, of which Bokuto opens it for him. Bokuto watches him leave again, getting on his motorcycle and driving away. He turns back and walks into Atsumu, who is looking at him with an eyebrow raised and his arms crossed.

“Haven’t you met him a total of two times?” He teases.

“And? What about it?” Bokuto jokes.

“You are so whipped for him,” Attsumu says and walks away, going to give a table their check. Soon enough they close up and go home.

Akaashi drives downtown. He makes a sharp turn and parks his bike in front of an apartment complex. He puts in the key code and makes his way upstairs. He stops at apartment number 15 and knocks on the door. Slowly, it opens, revealing his best friend.

“Oh it’s you, come in,” He opens the door and steps to the side, allowing Akaashi to enter.

“Hey Kiyoomi. Hey Keiji. How are you? Oh I’m just dandy, what about you?” Akaashi says sarcastically as he enters and takes his shoes off. Sakusa scoffs and takes off his mask.

“Hey Keiji, how ya been?” Sakusa says as he walks over to the fridge.

“Gay panicking,” Akaashi flops onto the couch.

“Still? Is it about that Bokuto guy from last week?” Sakusa pulls out two drinks and hands one to Akaashi as he sits in the chair next to the couch.

“Yes. I mean he’s literally perfect. He’s like this ball of sunshine,” Akaashi sighs before he takes a sip.

“Oh yea, you said he looked like the sun too or something like that? Gold eyes and spikey hair?” Sakusa grins at how much Akaashi has gushed about this guy to him over the past week.

“Don’t even get me started. Today I walked in and his hair was up, right? He greets me and I sit down. He says he has to go to the back real quick. He comes back and his hair is down. It looked like he just showered and it was _hot_ . There was still water dripping down his face and neck and _ugh_ ,” Akaashi puts his hands on his face and rolls over to the side.

“Pfft- why don’t you just ask to draw him already?” Sakusa giggles.

“Because that's weird? Who goes up to someone and asks to draw them?” Akaashi turns and raises an eyebrow at Sakusa.

“Apparently taking a week to go back and ask for his number is weirder,” Sakusa grins at Akaashi before taking a sip of his drink.

“Hey you can’t laugh anymore, because guess who got his number? Me, I did,” Akaashi grins back.

“Oh? Little boy all grown up?” Sakusa makes a face.

“Okay it was more like I gave him my number,” Akaashi flops back down, dramatically.

“Did he text you yet?” Sakusa asks.

“No-” Akaashi is cut off from a ping from his phone. He quickly pulls it out.

“Eager are we?” Sakusa teases and makes Akaashi sit up so he can sit next to him.

“Holy fuck its Bokuto-san” Akaashi looks at his phone, wide-eyed.

_xx-xxx-xxxx: HEY HEY HEY KAASHI!!!_

“Hey ‘Kaashi~” Sakusa teases.

“Oh shove it,” Akaashi adds Bokuto as a contact.

_Kaashi <3: Hello Bokuto-san _

“You reply so nicely? I take it he doesn’t know how mean you are?” Sakusa jokes.

“I’m not mean. He’s perfect. I don’t respect you,” Akaashi doesn’t look up from his phone.

_Bokuto-san: Bokuto is fine ‘Kaashi!_

“Wow- favoritism at its finest,” Sakusa leans back, placing his drink on a coaster next to Akaashi’s.

_Kaashi <3: Okay then, Bokuto, How are you? _

_Bokuto <3: I’m great! I miss you though:( _

“So he says Bokuto is fine and you put a heart next to his name, making moves I see,” Sakusa teases, leaning over Akaashi’s shoulder to look at his screen.

“He doesn’t need to know it's there, now shush,” Akaashi says.

_Kaashi <3: I miss you too Bokuto, I will see you next week though _

_Bokuto <3: Thats too far:( you should come everyday :D _

_Kaashi <3: Okay _

_Bokuto <3: WAIT REALLY- ??EHBDY:@45&GEDBVU:””D?RC:RCHS _

_Kaashi <3: Why wouldn’t I? _

_Bokuto <3: I thought you didn’t want to come back because it had been a week:( _

_Kaashi <3: I apologize for that, I wanted too, I just didn’t know if I should _

_Bokuto <3: You are always welcome here ‘Kaashi! :D _

_Kaasi <3: Thank you Bokuto, I have to go eat but I will text you later? _

_Bokuto <3: Of course Kaashi! Bye:) _

_Kaashi <3: Bye, Bokuto _

Akaashi places his phone down and sighs.

“You know you could text him while we eat right?” Sakusa asks.

“No, that's rude,” Akaashi looks at him.

“I thought you lost all respect for me?” Sakusa teases.

“That was also rude, I’m sorry,” Akaashi’s facial expression doesn’t change.

“Wow, look at that. Being around him or talking to him makes you level headed again. Interesting,” Sakusa gets up to get their food from the kitchen.

“That’s it, tomorrow you are coming with me to meet him. That’s final,” Akaashi crosses his arms.

“Fine, fine, no need to be pushy,” Sakusa returns with their plates and they begin to eat dinner in peace.

Bokuto was the first to arrive at the shop, he had an all day shift. When he had those, he liked to come early. It was only around eight in the morning on a Saturday. Soon enough he watched a familiar vehicle pull up. It was Atsumu in his black sports car. He parked in the employee lot behind the building, and took his sweet time coming to the door with the keys.

“It’s cold ‘Tsumu, why did you make me wait so long?” Bokuto pouts.

“I don’t know, maybe it would teach you that you don’t have to be here early? Or that you should get a bit more sleep? I know college is killing you. You don’t even have to work here, but you do,” Atsumu lovingly scolds him as he opens the shop and walks in, setting his coat on the rack on the left wall. He starts to turn on things like the lights.

“Well what can I say? I like working here, it helps you out, and I can always find a tutor,” Bokuto teases.

“Maybe if you got yourself a boyfriend you would start to take better care of yourself, maybe even stop being moody,” Atsumu starts to wipe down tables.

“Same goes to you ‘Tsumu” Bokuto says, grabbing his apron from the back room.

“You and me both know I can’t do that, I won’t,” Atsumu says, sadly.

“It’s been a year Atsumu, you have to get over it sometime. You can’t be alone forever. You used to be so much happier. Not everything would end the way that did,” Bokuto inches his way over to Atsumu and puts a hand on his shoulder.

“I appreciate it, I do, but you can’t say that with certainty. Everyone leaves, one way or another. It’s only a matter of time,” Atsumu sighs.

“Okay I’ve had it with this pessimistic shit. I’m setting you up on a date. You are going. That’s that,” Bokuto walks away and leans against the wall as he waits for customers.

“You can’t just-” Atsumu starts to object.

“Oh but I can. As much as you tell me to take care of myself, you don’t do the same for you. I’m worried about you man. Please, just let me do this for you,” Bokuto asks.

“You can’t even guarantee that I’ll like whoever you set me up with,” Atsumu crosses his arms.

“Oh yea? And if I got you a date with that guy you thought was hot at the store?” Bokuto grins.

“Him? Like he even knows we exist-” Atsumu is interrupted by the sound of the door bell jingling. In walk Akaashi and a tall, dark haired stranger with a mask behind him.  
“Bokuto-san? Are we too early?” Akaashi asks, looking at Bokuto. Bokuto instantly brightens up and runs over. He pulls Akaashi into a hug.

“Kaashi! You are just on time!” He releases Akaashi from the hug and steps back a bit, “I did think you were coming later, what are you doing here now? And who is this?” Bokuto points at the guy behind Akaashi.

“This is my best friend Sakusa Kiyoomi, the one I told you I was eating dinner with? And-” Akaashi stops and looks at Bokuto’s facial expression.

“I know you! I saw you at the store with ‘Tsumu! He would not shut up about-” Atsumu comes up behind Bokuto and places a hand over his mouth.

“And that's enough talking for today, I think you should let your boyfriend finish speaking,” Atsumu emerges, he locks eyes with Sakusa, who won’t stop staring at him even after he looks away.

“Well, as I was saying, we came here early to ask if you two wanted to hang out with us after you guys are done with work?” Akaashi asks, looking at Bokuto, then Atsumu.

“Us two? Like, me included?” Atsumu is shocked.

“Yes? Are you not Bokuto-san’s best friend? I also would like to be your friend,” Akaashi says, calmly.

“As would I,” Sakusa says.

“I- what??” Atsumu’s face heats up.

“Sorry about that. He’s kept himself all hole up in his apartment and work, that he doesn’t know how to respond to people being nice that have genuinely good intentions! Now Atsumu, say you want to be Akaashi’s friend too!” Bokuto smiles at him.

“I would, of course,” He says to Akaashi, then turns to Sakusa, “I’ve never met you though, and you keep staring at me…” Atsumu looks down at the ground and back up at the taller male.

“Hi, my name is Sakusa Kiyoomi,” He responds.

“Miya Atsumu” Atsumu sticks his hand out for a handshake, but is met with nothing. Sakusa just stares at his hand. Atsumu slowly retreats and rubs the side of his arm, a little hurt.

“I’m sorry. I have a thing with germs. I don’t like them. Please, please don’t take it personally…” Sakusa looks at his feet.

“It’s okay! I totally get it,” Atsumu smiles. Sakusa breathes a sigh of relief.

“Thank you,” He smiles behind his mask.

“So will you join us later today?” Akaashi asks.

“Sure! Where are we going?” Bokuto asks.

“Well, I wanted to show you where we work,” Akaashi plays with his thumbs.

“Oh? And where’s that?” Atsumu asks, joining the conversation.

“Surprise,” Sakusa replies.

“We’ll go!” Bokuto smiles at Akaashi, who gives a soft smile back.

“Sure, why not,” Atsumu sighs and walks away, going to the front desk of the shop.

“Great, text me when your shift is over and we’ll come pick you up,” Akaashi smiles again and waves as he drags Sakusa out of the shop.

“See you later ‘Kaashi!” Bokuto says excitedly.

After they are out of sight and definitely out of earshot, Sakusa turns to Akaashi as they walk down the sidewalk to go shopping.

“You forgot to ask if they don’t mind riding on motorcycles,” Sakusa grins underneath his mask, “Too busy gawking at Bokuto eh?”

“S-Shut up”


	2. Spontaneous decisions

Today was quieter than most days. No one had really come inside for meals or even a drink. They sold a few pastries to-go and that was about it. None of the staff really knew what to do with themselves when there were no customers. A while ago, before the incident, Atsumu, Hinata and Bokuto could be found laughing at the stupidest things at any given moment. Now, it was quiet with an awkward tension in the air. After the last customer walked out, Hinata reared on his heels and went back into the kitchen, knowing full well he was leaving Bokuto to talk to Atsumu for the five hundredth time. Atsumu sat at his desk going through today’s receipts and making sure their balances were good. Bokuto was sweeping the floors again, thinking about going out with Akaashi later, and sneaking glances at Atsumu. A few minutes pass and Bokuto puts the broom in the closet and walks over to the desk. Atsumu stiffens, trying to avoid the conversation he knows is inevitable. 

“So Tsumu, what do you think about our plans later with Akaashi?” Bokuto asks, knowing he has to worm his way into the deeper topic.

“You didn’t say anything about my comment saying Akaashi was your boyfriend,” Atsumu doesn’t look up from the computer, his glasses are sat atop the edge of his nose.

“That’s not what I asked,” Bokuto teases.

“Fine, going somewhere with the guy I was freaking out about is making me nervous so I’m working. There, happy?” Atsumu raises an eyebrow and throws a look at him.

“Satisfactory answer,” Bokuto smiles.

“I didn’t know you knew big words like that,” Atsumu smirks to himself.

“Hey, I’ve come a long way since highschool! Anyways, do you think this could be the start of a new romance between you and Sakusa-kun?” Bokuto says nervously. Atsumu’s face goes stone cold.

“If that's what you’re lingering around my desk for then leave. You already know I don’t do romance anymore,” Atsumu starts to type a little harder on the keyboard.

“Atsumu it’s been years and you know deep down it wasn’t your fault,” Bokuto’s brow furrows as he worriedly looks at Atsumu.

“It was. Now leave, this conversation is over,” Atsumu shifts in his seat.

“I think you should give him a try, you never know, he could be the love of your life?” Bokuto starts to drag the conversation on.

“I said no, there is no way I’ll go through that again,” Atsumu’s voice breaks a bit.

 _Finally, I’m getting somewhere_. Bokuto thinks.

“Atsumu you can’t control your feelings. I’m not going to tell you it didn’t hurt because I know it did, but you can’t shut yourself out from being happy because you’re scared to get hurt again,” Bokuto carefully sits down on a chair and puts a hand on Atsumu’s shoulder. He’s trembling a bit as tears threaten to fall from his eyes. Bokuto feels a pang in his chest, just wanting his best friend to be happy. A tear finally slips down Atsumu’s cheek.

“If only I was good enough, maybe he would have loved me back…” Atsumu’s voice breaks throughout the sentence.

“You couldn’t help how Kita-san felt. I know it hurt a lot, and I’m sorry it had to happen to you, but you are good enough Atsumu,” Bokuto pulls him into a hug.

“If I was then he should have picked me. It hurts Bokuto, even though I got the surgery, it still hurts. I don’t want to be rejected like that again,” Atsumu grips onto the back of Bokuto’s shirt and sobs into his shoulder.

“The way he went about it was uncalled for, I know. Everything he said was a lie though. You are so amazing and any guy would be lucky to have you, so please, give this a chance,” Bokuto hugs him tightly.

“All me and Bokuto-san want is for you to be happy, it hurts to keep seeing you in pain. It doesn’t even have to be Sakusa-san, just open yourself up more, it’s time to let go,” Hinata says as he emerges from the kitchen after eavesdropping. He walks over and joins the hug. They stay like that for a minute before the bell on the door rings, indicating that someone walked in. It snapped them all back to reality that was, they were technically still open.

“Is this a bad time? Atsumu?” 

The group unfolds out of the hug, Atsumu’s face and Bokuto’s shirt still stained with tears.

“Oh- um hi again, did you need something?” Atsumu asks, sniffing and wiping his cheeks. Bokuto takes Hinata and drags him to the backroom.

“Are you okay?” Sakusa says as he cautiously walks over.

“Yeah I’m fine, I’ll be… fine,” He takes a deep breath, ignoring the shaking in his voice. Sakusa kneels down in front of the chair Atsumu is sitting in, careful not to touch anything, especially the floor.

“I’m here if you want to talk,” Sakusa looks at him worriedly. Though, few could tell from under his mask.

“Yeah… thanks. Um, why are you here?” Atsumu mentally slapped himself from how rude that sounded.

“Well Keiji was too busy ogling Bokuto to ask how the two of you feel about something,” Sakusa fiddles with his thumbs from his spot crouched on the floor looking at Atsumu. His interest piqued.

“And what would that be?” Atsumu asks.

“Motorcycles,” Sakusa deadpanned.

“No way, you have one too?” Atsumu’s previous sad thoughts that were burdening his shoulders, were wiped away by the conversation he was having with Sakusa.

“Yeah. I came here early to ask if you guys are cool with that method of transportation, if not we can take the bus. Keiji and I will buy the tickets if that’s the case,” Sakusa looks up, only to find Atsumu, eyes wide with excitement.

“I’ve never ridden on one. I would love to,” A smile tugs at both of their faces.

“It feels as free as a roller coaster,” Sakusa softly smiles from under his mask.

“Bokuto loves roller coasters, though, they do scare him. I guess that’s why he likes them? I don’t know he’s pretty weird,” Atsumu giggles.

“ _I heard that!_ ” Bokuto yells from the back room. Sakusa and Atsumu burst into a small fit of laughter as Bokuto and Hinata walk back out.

“Were you listening the whole time?” Atsumu turns and looks at them.

“You wouldn’t be able to keep it a secret that Sakusa-kun was worried about you anyway~” Bokuto says as he and Hinata snicker.

“Ha ha very funny, I can keep a secret if I want to,” Atsumu smirks.

“We know, but if we didn’t listen in on your conversation then what type of best friends would we be?” Hinata smiles.

“Right, anyways, tell ‘Kaashi I’m fine with whatever as long as I get to ride on his motorcycle” Bokuto smiles and thinks about what it would be like to ride a motorcycle with Akaashi. Sakusa turns to look at Atsumu.

“Guess we’re partners then,” He says.

“Yeah, I guess we are,” Atsumu meets his eyes and they both blush a little. Hinata chooses this moment to interrupt.

“Hi I’m Hinata Shoyo! I just realized that you don’t know me even though I know you!” He smiles.

“Well that doesn’t sound creepy in the least,” Sakusa teases.

“Well, all afternoon Bokuto-san has been talking to me about your plans for the afternoon. I also heard about you from the supermarket incident,” Hinata says. Sakusa raises an eyebrow.

“Ah! When you meet Atsumu-san at the store and he comes back-” Hinata was cut off.

“That’s enough for today!” Atsumu says, his ears and cheeks dusted pink.

“But-” Sakusa starts to object.

“Nope, nope, nope. We have to close up so we can leave! I’ll see you in a bit!” Atsumu says as he hurriedly ushered Sakusa out the door, careful not to touch him.

“See you later~” Sakusa teases as he happily walks away, forgetting he was just kicked out. His mind was empty, only thoughts of seeing Atsumu flustered.

Atsumu sighed as the door closed, he leaned against the cold glass, letting himself fall to the ground a blushing mess.

“I will literally murder you if you dare bring that up again,” Atsumu sighs into his hands.

“Ehehe~” Hinata grins and retreats to the kitchen where he can hide behind his arsenal of cooking supplies.

“I think it’s fantastic,” Bokuto crosses his arms and grins. Atsumu sighs and stands up.

“I look like a fourth grader in love,” Atsumu returns to his desk and starts to put his work away so they can close up for the day.

“Maybe that’s a good thing,” Bokuto shrugs and returns to cleaning.

“Maybe… whatever let’s just finish cleaning up so we can leave,” Atsumu shoves his files and receipts into the desk drawer. As Bokuto wipes down the tables, Hinata puts away all the baking ingredients from today. Everyone silently works, but different from before. All the tension is gone. No one feels like they have to talk, especially about Atsumu and what happened. They just clean and organize in peace. About ten more minutes pass and they are all changed out of their work clothes and closing the doors as they walk out. Atsumu is the one who locks the door with the key. Bokuto and Hinata stand behind him, waiting, but not for long. Just as they turn to leave, they hear a loud voice. The three of them walk toward the direction of the sound, the alleyway next to the cafe. They stand there, shocked at the sight. Akaashi was standing with Sakusa, and a stranger in front of the two of them, in what looks like a defensive stance. There was a group of people facing them, maybe four or five people. One of them had a bat and was yelling angrily at the tall man in front of Akaashi.

“Tobio! Cut it out!” Akaashi snaps, pulling on the sleeve of his jacket.

“You have somewhere to be Keiji, it’s fine. I’ll just stay here and make sure this scum never lives to see the light of day again,” Kageyama shoots a glare at the leader of the possy. Bokuto, Hinata, and Atsumu were all watching from behind the corner of the cafe.

“...Should we say something?” Atsumu asks.

“It looks kinda personal,” Bokuto responds.

“That tall guy can slam me into a wall,” Hinata says, gawking at him.

“I-”

“You were wondering if we should say something, so I’m just voicing my opinion that I would let him run me over and then reverse on my body again, that's all,” Hinata’s gaze never lifts from Kageyama. Who just started yelling again.

“Keiji? How could you possibly ask me to let it go? He tried to force himself on you?!” Kageyama stared at him, bewildered.

“I don’t want anymore trouble…” Akaashi looked at the ground guiltily.

“Keij, I love you man, but this asshole literally came back with his possy because you said no to him fucking you,” Sakusa starts to interject into the conversation. Everyone stops when they hear someone’s voice.

“Bokuto no-”

They look up to see Bokuto walking over looking at the ground. He takes off his sweatshirt, dropping it on the ground as he walks, revealing his shirt. It was a practically skin tight regular white tee-shirt. What made all the difference was the light from the street illuminating his figure. Anyone could tell just by looking at him that the man hit the gym at least once a day, he had to for that body. All of his muscles were pronounced in each step he took. His hair was down, not in the usual gelled up version Akaashi is used to seeing.

 _Oh shit, he’s hot._ Is all Akaashi can think of as Bokuto reaches the group with a murderous aura surrounding him. Atsumu and Hinata facepalm mentally and walk over. Hinata letting out an exasperated sigh. Bokuto stops and stands between the strangers and Akaashi and his friends. He doesn’t bother to look at Akaashi, he just turns to the stranger and takes a few steps closer, causing the other male to take a step back.

“So. First you interrupt my plans with ‘Kaashi,” Bokuto says, looking up. His face was stone cold. His eyes were wide, yet angry.

“Then you and your mean girls squad is loud next to my friend’s cafe,” Bokuto sticks his hands in his pockets, narrowing his eyes. 

“Now I hear that you tried to force yourself onto ‘Kaashi?” The malice spills out of his voice.

Hinata and Atsumu walk over. Atsumu carrying Bokuto’s dropped sweater. He leans over and whispers to the trio of friend’s.

“By any chance do you know if this guy’s insurance covers hospital bills?” Atsumu asks. Sakusa, Akaashi, and Kageyama all share the same shocked expression. Hinata joins the conversation.

“I can count the total number of times I’ve seen him get this mad and the person walk away conscious, on one finger. That’s because ‘Tsumu stopped him,” Hinata uses his entrance into the conversation as an excuse to move closer to Kageyama, who doesn’t object.

“Well can’t you stop him again?” Akaashi asks. He was met with everyone’s response of ‘Why would he?’ and Atsumu’s of ‘Why would I?’.

“Plus, there were more personal conditions surrounding the situation. This directly affects him and you. He seems to have taken a liking to you so I doubt he’d let this slide,” Atsumu sighs at the sight. Everyone turns and continues to watch Bokuto with intensity. One out of five of the gang was lying on the ground unconscious already. 

“Everyone else scram, my business is with him,” Bokuto says angrily as he picks up the guy by his shirt. All his little friends run away.

“Bokuto-san I think he gets the point-” Akaashi tries to stop it from escalating further.

“Does he? Because I haven’t heard him apologize yet,” Bokuto says, with no malice towards Akaashi.

“I- I’m sorry!” The man stutters and fumbles over his words as he’s scared for his life.

“For?” Bokuto raises an eyebrow, raising the man higher in the air.

“For everything! I swear I’ll never come near any of you again!” He grasps at Bokuto’s hand, desperate for him to let go.

“Good,” Bokuto slams him into the wall, letting go. The man scrambles away and out of the alley. Everyone watches as he flees, except Akaashi, who is watching Bokuto. The second the man is gone, the tension in Bokuto released and his shoulders relaxed again. In an instant, he is back to his normal self. He quickly turns around and approaches Akaashi with a worried look. He places his hands on his cheeks and tilts Akaashi’s head, checking for injuries before letting go.

“I’m sorry you had to see that Akaashi,” Bokuto says, looking at the ground.

“It's okay Bokuto-san. I appreciate you sticking up for me. As long as you are fine then it’s okay,” Akaashi gives a soft smile as Bokuto looks up, meeting his gaze.

“I should be the one asking if you are okay. I heard what he did and I just-” Bokuto sighs. Kageyama interjects.

“That. was. so. cool,” Kageyama looks at him with his eyes wide, “Can you teach me how to do that?” Bokuto reverts back to normal again. He slings his arm around Kageyama.

“It’s all about the looks kid, be intimidating,” He grins.

“You were super intimidating. Like you’re built like a greek statue,” Kageyama straightens his posture, examining himself as Bokuto unlinks his arm from around his shoulder.

“Well you got the height. Maybe add some more muscle,” Bokuto pokes at his chest.

“So I’ve been told,” Kageyama replies.

“Um- by who? You are so hot as is, you might kill the entire population if you gain any more muscle and-” Hinata slaps his hand over his mouth to stop himself from continuing further.

“You never did know when or how to shut up,” Atsumu says between laughter, of which him and Sakusa were doubling over. Even Akaashi smirked as heat rose to Kageyama’s face.

“Oh chibi-chan’s got a crush~!” Bokuto goes to Hinata’s side and smirks at him with an eyebrow raised. Hinata removes his hands from his mouth.

“Aye- like you were much better. Mr ‘Help help help Akaashi is so pretty and he looks so cool with all his tattoos and piercings and his drawings are-” Bokuto pulls Hinata into a headlock and starts to walk away, blushing furiously.

“That’s enough for today! I believe we all have places to be!”

Hinata frees himself from the headlock and walks alongside Bokuto as the rest of the group follows them out of the alleyway and back in front of the store.

“Speak for yourself, I have no friends now that the two of you ditched me,” Hinata crosses his arms.

“Felt that. Wanna go to the arcade?” Kageyama asks, leaning over Hinata.

“If I stand here any longer, it will be extremely difficult to not throw up over them being sappy. Let’s go!” Hinata wraps his arm around Kageyama’s and drags him down the street.

“Bye Keiji! Bye Kiyoomi! You guys are the bestest friends and I love you so much. I hope you have a _wonderful_ time with Bokuto and Atsumu!” Sakusa says in a mocking tone, earning snickering from Atsumu..

“So, are you both ready to go?” Akaashi looks at them.

“Yep!” Bokuto grins.

“Great, you’ll ride with me Bokuto-san. Let’s go,” Akaashi smiles and leads Bokuto over to his bike.

“Wow way to just forget we exist,” Atumu jokes.

“Eh, let him be. It’s been a while since he’s been this excited,” Sakusa looks over at Akaashi fondly.

“Can say the same about Bokuto. I’ve been… kind of a bitch for a few years. I shouldn’t have taken my anger out on him, but I did. I’m just glad he’s happy again,” Atsumu watches with Sakusa as Bokuto puts on his helmet and climbs on the back of Akaashi’s bike, wrapping his arms around his waist.

“My offer still stands, I’m always here to talk,” Sakusa passes a helmet to Atsumu.

“I might take you up on that offer. Are you sure this is okay? I remember you saying you have a thing with germs. I looked it up, mysophobia, right?” Atsumu hesitates before accepting the helmet.

“It’s fine, I cleaned it before and I’ll clean it after,” Sakusa pushes the helmet out a little further. Atsumu accepts it.

“Alright, hop on,” Sakusa says.

Atsumu promptly sits in the little seat behind Sakusa, holding onto the sides of it for support. Sakusa starts the bike and begins to drive off. The sudden movement of the bike scared Atsumu. He panicked and flung his arms around Sakusa’s waist as they drove. He immediately let go. Sakusa noticed that he was being considerate, so he wanted to do the same in return. He couldn’t tell Atsumu that it was okay, because he wouldn’t hear him. So instead, he used one hand to reach behind him and grab Atsumu’s arm. He wrapped it around his waist and returned to steering with both hands. Atsumu’s other arm soon followed, and so did he. He gently leaned his head on Sakusa’s back, relaxing. Suddenly, the drive wasn’t as scary as it was before. It was thrilling. He relaxed and opened his eyes, watching the lights of the city and the people go by. The sun was starting to set. Seeing as it was getting closer to winter, they were starting to lose daylight faster and faster. Soon they made it to their destination, as Bokuto and Akaashi were getting off the bike. Bokuto got off first and placed his helmet on the seat. He then held out his hand, motioning to help Akaashi off the bike. Akaashi didn’t really need the help, but Bokuto liked being a ‘prince charming’, so of course, Akaashi took his hand. Sakusa and Atsumu got off their bike and joined them on the sidewalk.

“So, where to now?” Atsumu asks.

“Here,” Sakusa responds, pointing to the door behind them. It somehow didn’t occur to either Bokuto or Atsumu that where they parked, was their destination. Then again, it was almost never like that in cities, so of course they had gotten used to it. Akaashi pulled out his keys and opened the door. It moved swiftly, no breaks or anything. Sure, the foundation of the building looks like it’s been there since the eighties, but the inside was refurbished and the doors and front windows looked beautiful. It was a neatly decorated place with light beige walls. There was a couch in the lobby with a small coffee table in front of it as well as a side table. Art littered the walls along with small succulents and other plants. It definitely was not the ideal picture that came to mind when you think of where they work.

“Well, this is it. Welcome to Kiyoomi and I’s tattoo shop,” Akaashi says as he sets his bag down behind the reception desk and hangs his coat on the wall. He also takes Bokuto’s sweatshirt and hangs it up. Sakusa takes off his own jacket and helps remove Atsumu’s, only to hang them on the coat hangers just like Akaashi did.

“It’s really beautiful,” Atsumu says as he walks around, taking a closer look at the art specifically.

“Keiji picked out most of it, I paid for most of it. And now we work together,” Sakusa said, watching Atsumu as he curiously walked around.

“So you do tattoos here?” Bokuto asked.

“Yes, would you like to see the back rooms we do them in? Kiyoomi and I both have our own rooms,” Akaashi started to explain. To any ordinary person who didn’t know Akaashi that well yet, like Atsumu, he could not tell the difference in the way he was talking. Sakusa picked up on it instantly, seeing as he had known Akaashi for a very long time. As for Bokuto, his genuine interest in Akaashi led him to be a little more aware of subtle changes. Like how Akaashi got noticeably more excited talking about his work. Bokuto followed Akaashi as he led him to the back rooms. Atsumu and Sakusa trailed behind. Akaashi opened the door to a room with the similar style to the lobby. With the exception of the thin black lines covering the walls in endless different designs, all looping into each other.

“Kaashi did you paint this?” Bokuto reaches a hand out and runs it against one of the waves.

“Yeah… I get a little bored sometimes. Or if I have an idea I think would be good I draw it first on the wall. Sometimes it's not always a rough draft. I also just-” Akaashi stops himself.

“Why did you stop talking?” Bokuto turns to meet his gaze.

“I hyperfixate, it's probably annoying, I’m sorry,” Akaashi looks down. Sakusa sighs.

“I could listen to you talk for hours, in fact, please keep talking. I want to know more about you,” bokuto says with sincerity. A small blush rises to Akaashi’s face. Sakusa tugs on Atsumu’s sleeve, motioning for him to lean in. He whispers in his ear.

“Let;s leave the lovebirds alone. I’ll show you my room,” Sakusa offers.

“Okay,”

Atsumu follows Sakusa out of the room and into the one across the hall. Sakusa’s room is a bit more on the emo side. It’s even darker than Akaashi’s, but it’s set up in such a cool way that no one would care that it doesn’t match the aesthetic of the rest of the shop.

“They couldn’t be more obvious,” Sakusa says as he takes a seat in his chair. He pats the client seat, motioning for Atsumu to sit down, so he does.

“Usually, Bokuto’s emotions are all over the place. There hasn’t been a single person that’s been able to keep him grounded on mainly one feeling, until now,” Atsumu admits, relaxing into the seat, laying down as if he were getting a tattoo.

“I am also in a similar situation. Keiji has a bit of baggage, if you count the stuff like his hyperfixation. He doesn’t make a lot of friends, partially because he doesn’t see the need for it, but also because he’s antisocial. So Bokuto reaching out and letting Keiji be himself, is probably one of the best things for his mental health. I let him talk all he wants, but I know it’s different when you are talking about it for the first time. I couldn’t be more grateful that Bokuto came into his life,” Sakusa smiles and takes off his mask, letting Atsumu see his whole face for the first time.

“...Wow,” He lets the words slip out. Sakusa shoots him a questioning look.

“You are beautiful Sakusa,” Atsumu says. Sakusa blinks at him, for a few reasons.

“Thank you, I think you are really beautiful too. Also, don’t call me Sakusa. It sounds weird coming from you,” Sakusa says, blushing slightly.

“Kiyoomi is a long name, gotta think of a nickname. Hm, Kiyo? Kiyo-chan? No, that's not it…” Atsumu furrows his brows in a pout, of which Sakusa can’t stop himself from finding adorable.

“Ah! I got it!” Atsumu says.

“What is it?” Sakusa asks, leaning in from curiosity.

“Omi omi!” Atsumu says, grinning. Sakusa blinks again, before his cheeks tint pink and he starts to laugh. It starts off as like a snort, trying to hold himself back, then a little giggle for the same reason. He covers his mouth before fully laughing, throwing his head back. Atsumu memorized every second of it. He wanted to put it on record and play it a thousand times over. For some reason, his heart fluttered at the sound of it.

“I’ve- that’s a new one. No one has ever called me that before,” Sakusa says, wiping a tear away.

“Then I guess it’s our thing,” Atsumu smiles to hide his growing blush.

“Yeah, I guess it is,” The two make eye contact and stare at each other. Neither really realizing what they are doing. Sakusa is the first to snap out of it.

“So, want to see some of my work?” Sakusa asks.

“Sure”

“Bokuto-san”

“Kaashi, I already told you, Bokuto is fine! Besides, I don’t even think I’m older than you!” Bokuto whines as he flips through a catalog of Akaashi’s drawings.

“How old are you?” Akaashi asks, from where he is leaning against the wall.

“Twenty three,” Bokuto responds.

“I’m twenty two,” Akaashi says.

“I mean, you look twenty two but you act way older. So I thought you were,” Bokuto pouts, jokingly. Akaashi lets out a small laugh.

“And you act younger,” He teases back.

“Pfft- Kaashi who knew you had a sense of humor?” Bokuto continues to flip through the pages of the book.

“What do you think?” Akaashi looks at him, slightly nervous.

“Do you have any that you haven’t shown anyone?” Bokuto asks, not looking up.

“Yeah, my private sketchbook. Why?” Akaashi raises an eyebrow.

“Can I see?” Bokuto looks up. How could Akaashi ever say no to that face. He sighs and pulls his black leather sketchbook out of a drawer in the room. He passes it to Bokuto who accepts it with care. He starts to flip through the pages until he lands on one. His eyes widen and he points at it.

“This one,” He says.

“What about it?” Akaashi asks.

“I want it. On me. Me only,” Bokuto looks back up at Akaashi. Akaashi’s face is red as could be.

“Bokuto-san we didn’t come here to give you a tattoo,” He says, covering his face and talking into his hand.

“Well why not? I’ll pay for it of course,” Bokuto runs his fingers over the sketch.

“But- that's not-” Bokuto pouts at Akaashi. He sighs.

“Have you ever even gotten a tattoo before?” He walks over to the counter and starts gathering his things.

“Nope, you’ll be my first!” Bokuto says enthusiastically. Akaashi’s heart skips a beat.

 _How does he not know how that sounds? He's going to be the death of me oh my god._ Akaashi thinks to himself as he pulls out the ink and needle. He gets the stencil paper too.

“Do you want any specific colors?” Akaashi asks.

“Whatever you think would look good. I just want this one,” Bokuto leans back on the chair.

“Where do you want it?” Akaashi put the supplies on the roll away tray and brought it over to the side of the chair. Bokuto sat up and took his shirt off. Wearing the shirt did not do him justice, he was far more shredded than how he appeared. Akaashi’s face flushed as he took in the sight of Bokuto’s more than toned torso.

“Like what you see Kaashi?” Bokuto teased. The color in Akaashi’s face only grew deeper as he couldn’t muster a response. Bokuto lays back down, now shirtless, and turns over on his side. He points to a spot on his ribs.

“Right here,” Bokuto says, lifting his arm up. He turns on his side a little more to give Akaashi a better angle to work at. Akaashi ran his hand over Bokuto’s ribs, examining the area to make sure it was safe to tattoo.

“This area is going to hurt a lot. Are you sure?” Akaashi asks as he puts his black rubber gloves and his black mask on. He adjusts his glasses and sits down.

“Yeah I’m sure!” Bokuto turns his head and grins at Akaashi.

“Alright. I’m going to start with the sketching and stenciling. It will be a bit before we ink. Then after that we will need to set up more appointments to finish inking if I can’t today, then the color. I am asking one last time, because I’ve never met anyone who spontaneously decided to get a tattoo, are you sure?” Akaashi raises an eyebrow.

“Kaashi, trust me. I have been wanting one for a bit, and it makes it all the more special if you’re the one who does it for me. I love your drawings and I want the one I picked. Can you tell me the story behind it?” Bokuto asks.

“I already have the stencil printing since I do it with all my drawings incase I ever want one on myself. So the application will be easy and we can start inking today,” Akaashi says, ignoring Bokuto’s question. Bokuto turns back around, adjusting his position again. Akaashi sighs.

“I drew it for you,” He says. Bokuto’s ears perk up. He glances in Akaashi’s direction.

“Really? Why though?” Bokuto asks.

“Well, when you don’t sit with me, I watch you as you work. Hear me out I know I sound creepy. When you sit with me and we talk, it’s like you are in your own world, and you are happy when you do what you love. Which I’m assuming is your job because of the way you smile, but I also pick up on when you’re sad. Sometimes if a customer is rude, I notice you change a little bit even though you try not to let it show. I’ve seen you come into work in a bad mood. I know you keep your hair up for positivity because you told me,” Akaashi lays the stencil over Bokuto’s side ribs. Bokuto listens patiently.

“The flowers are because of the tea you made me and is your favorite. The jester mask is because everyone has good and bad days. No one is perfect. Its okay to not be happy all the time. It’s also okay to feel the need to hind behind a mask. I wouldn’t argue its healthy but- Bokuto-san?” Akaashi stops stenciling. He looks up at Bokuto, who has tears streaming down his face. Akaashi puts the needs down and takes off his gloves. He grabs Bokuto’s face on both cheeks.

“Bokuto-san what’s wrong? Is it the tattoo? Does it hurt? Are you okay?” Akaashi looks worridley at Bokuto, examining every inch of his face.

“You,” Bokuto chokes out.

“Me?” Akaashi asks, brow furrowing.

“You understand? I’ve never… No one ever said that to me. I didn’t realize how bad I needed to hear that…” Bokuto looks down. Akaashi brushes Bokuto’s hair out of his face and returns his hands to the sides of his cheeks.

“It’s okay Bokuto. I’m here for you,” Akaashi hugs Bokuto, pulling his head into his chest, careful not to contaminate the stenciled tattoo. Bokuto wraps his arms around Akaashi’s waist.

“Thank you, Kaashi,” Bokuto says into Akaashi’s sweater.

“Always Bokuto-san,” Akaashi says back, leaning his head over the top of Bokuto’s. He stops himself from planting a soft kiss on top of his head. After Bokuto calms down, he lays back down. He lets Akaashi finish stenciling. Akaashi puts his gloves back on and gets to work.

“It’s kind of funny,” Bokuto says as Akaashi peels off the stencil, signaling he is done with it.

“What is?” Akaashi asks as he gets the needle ready for the inking.

“We’ve only known each other for like two and a half weeks. We really only have met in the tea shop aside from now and a few other times, yet you know me so well already…” Bokuto says glancing at Akaashi.

“I’ve been told I’m very observant, but I also feel the same. Without always knowing, you’ve helped me a lot,” Akaashi smiles from under his mask.

“I’m glad I met you Kaashi,” Bokuto says.

“Me too, Bokuto-san,” Akaashi responds.

“Not to interrupt this touching moment, but I’m like 100% positive we didn’t come here for tattoos?” Sakusa says, pointing at the two. Atsumu stands slightly behind him at the doorway.

“I asked him too,” Bokuto says, looking at the two the best he can without moving much.

“Didn’t think you would be this bold Bokuto,” Atsumu lets out a small laugh.

“Keiji? You don’t do appointments if they aren’t scheduled,” Sakusa says, raising an eyebrow.

“You don’t?” Bokuto asks, looking at Akaashi.

“It’s okay. I’m glad you asked,” Akaashi smiles at Bokuto from under his mask again.

“Wow Bokuto, you really are amazing,” Sakusa says.

“Omi do you do walk-ins?” Atsumu looks up at him.

“Why? You want one?” Sakusa meets his gaze.

“Yeah, but not today,” Atsumu looks back at Akaashi, who is gawking at him.

“What?” Atsumu asks. Akaashi looks at Sakusa before laughing.

 _Even his laugh is beautiful._ Bokuto thinks as he smiles to himself.

“Omi? Really Kiyoomi? You let someone caall you by your first name, and a nickname at that? Atsumu you should be the one being called amazing,” Akaashi returns to his work after his laughing dies down. Both Atsumu and Sakusa’s face goes red.

“Tsumu want to go get food?” Sakusa asks quickly.

“Yep,” Atsumu responds even faster.

“Bye Keiji, Bokuto,” Sakusa says, walking away.

“Bye Bokuto and Akaashi,” Atsumu follows Sakusa, their faces still red.

“Bye~” Bokuto and Akaashi tease in unison. Akaashi lets out a small giggle. Bokuto has to stop himself from laughing for the sake of his tattoo.

“I wonder what they were doing this whole time,” Akaashi says, making conversation.

“Pictionary?” Bokuto jokes.

“Honestly I wouldn’t be surprised. Sakusa is whipped already and its been like two weeks that he’s known about the existence of Miya Atsumu,” Akaashi says, a smile playing on his lips.

“Same with Atsumu. There was this one time where they met for the first time-” Bokuto starrts.

“At the supermarket?” AKaashi interjects.

“At the supermarket. Atsumu came back to the store a blushing mess. I haven’t seen anything like that expression on him since…” Bokuto stops himself, subtly. Akaashi notices and starts to talk instead.

“Kiyoomi cam back with only half the things I asked him to get. I was making us dinner because we scored a big deal with an ink company, and we ended up getting takeout. I bet Atsumu had the same face as Kiyoomi,” Akaashi sighed playfully.

“I bet,”

The conversation lulled into a comfortable silence as Akaashi worked. With the occasional ‘Does it hurt?’ from Akaashi and the usual ‘No’ response from Bokuto.

“Hey Kaashi?” Bokuto asks.

“Yes?” Akaashi responds.

“It isn’t my place to tell you. In fact I don’t know I should, but I think if you know you might be able to talk to Sakusa,” Bokuto says.

“Know what?” Akaashi asks.

“What happened to Atsumu,” Bokuto responds.

“What happened?” Akaashi pauses.

“Hanahaki”


End file.
